your information resource in human molecular genetics
2009-01-30
Inheritance Extends Beyond the DNA Sequence Identical twins are more alike than fraternal twins not only because of the similarity of their DNA sequence, but also because the pattern of chemical modifications that regulate expression of their DNA is also more similar.
Common Risk Variant for Heart Failure in South Asians Approximately 4% of individuals of South Asian ancestry carry a gene variant associated with increased risk of cardiomyopathy, a condition associated with heart failure.
Fishing for New Leukaemia Drugs New potential drug targets for acute myelogenous leukaemia (AML) are reported in a paper published online.
Mouse Model of Hepatitis C Infection One Step Closer A therapeutically useful mouse model of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is one step closer with the discovery of a key protein needed for mouse cell infection.
Cancer Stem Cells Leave Their Mark Inappropriate activation of a signalling pathway in intestinal stem cells causes them to become cancerous.
Stem Cells and Disease Modelling Scientists have generated pluripotent stem cells from the skin cells of a patient with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), and show that these cells can be used to model the specific pathology for inherited diseases.
Arrestin' Insulin Resistance The protein beta-arrestin-2 helps ensure efficient insulin signalling by scaffolding key enzymes to the insulin receptor.
Natural Killer Cells Never Forget A study reports that certain cells of the innate immune system can 'remember' infectious agents - an ability previously only attributed to cells of the adaptive immune system.
Breaking Through the Barrier A non-invasive method to deliver genes to the central nervous system in mice is reported online.
Clearing Plaques In Blood Vessels In Alzheimer's Disease Scientists have uncovered the role of two critical proteins that negatively affect the clearance of amyloid beta in the brain, the accumulation of which is thought to lead to the development of Alzheimer's disease.
Rotaviruses Stick to Sugars Sugar molecules on the surface of host cells are linked to all rotavirus infections.
New Mechanism For Genetic Hair Loss Mutations that reduce the function of a small, previously unknown peptide cause a rare form of genetic hair loss.
A Chip for Efficient Cell Fusion A device that enables efficient pairing and fusion of cells and allows easy observation of the process is presented in a study.
Prions and Smell Study finds that Prions help us to distinguish odours.
Increases in Melanoma Rising rates of melanoma cannot be attributed to better screening and detection of thin melanomas, according to a published paper.